The Conscious Lovers: A Comedy In Five Acts

by Richard Steele

The Conscious Lovers is a classic comedy play written by Richard Steele. It is a five-act play that follows the story of two young lovers, Tom and Indiana, who are deeply in love but face several obstacles in their path. The play is set in the 18th century and explores themes of love, marriage, and social class.Tom, a young man of modest means, is in love with Indiana, the daughter of a wealthy merchant. However, Indiana's father disapproves of their relationship and wants her to marry a wealthy nobleman, Bevil Jr. To complicate matters further, Bevil Jr. is in love with Tom's cousin, Myrtle.As the play progresses, the characters navigate their way through various misunderstandings, secret meetings, and unexpected revelations. The play also features several comedic subplots, including the antics of a group of servants and the misadventures of a group of amateur actors.Ultimately, The Conscious Lovers is a lighthearted and entertaining play that explores the complexities of love and relationships in an era of strict social norms and expectations. It is a timeless classic that continues to be performed and enjoyed by audiences today.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Plays, School, Drama, Classics, Read For School, Theatre, Fiction

452 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1722

About the author

Sir Richard Steele was an Irish writer and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine The Spectator.

Reviews

[Phoebe Jeziel · Rating 2 out of 5]

And yet again, here I am reading things at the last minute with my exam only a few days away....

This play is all about being "polite" which doesn't leave a lot of room for all the scandalous affairs that on a personal note- make plays so much fun to enjoy (I'm thinkin' Shakespeare people).

There were a couple of funny moments, Tom was great and Cimberton's lines were mouth-drop worthy they were so brash. But other than that, all the rest of the characters were all about "passion in moderation" and... well, what's the fun in that?

[Bella Dufresne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty chill. Idk if it was easier to understand bc it wasn’t as buckwild as the other plays we’ve read or because the audiobook i found was actually good

[Dusty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Richard Steele's intention to write an "innocent" (read: polite) play is admirable. Given my own disinclination toward reality TV, gross-out movies and stand-up comedy, I understand his desire to prove that witty comedy about good people can be fashionable and pleasurable. That said, however, The Conscious Lovers has not aged well. Its characters speak in earnest the sorts of lines Oscar Wilde would later parody. And Steele's naturalized depiction of females as morally upright and easily shamed -- Suffice it to say, I had a hard time working my way through this play. An important work if you're interested in the period. For the rest of us, there's no good reason to be conscious about these (boring) lovers.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

After outcry over the general immorality of the English stage in the Restoration period, Steele wrote this play to prove that comedy could be virtuous. He succeeded on the latter point (these characters are indeed models of politeness and gentility) but failed miserably on the former (it's not funny). Thankfully, our professor promised that the debauchery will return in the play we're reading for next week. Bring on the rakes!

[Rowan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mind-numbingly didactic, full of overly sensitive souls, and has a plot so contrived it is the narrative equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. Rather characteristic of sentimental literature of the period, apparently. I made such a disgruntled expression when my professor was lecturing on this sentimentality that he turned to me and said "It's okay, Rowan, feel free to vomit."

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

like bella said idk why the reviews for this play are so incredibly low??? it wasn’t necessarily as fun and raunchy as the others we’ve read so far for this class, but it’s definitely still a good time. They’re still super over the top, just in a completely different direction.

Also Phillis slayed

[Kendalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A virtuous comedy that succeeds in the virtue but fails in the comedy.

[Simon · Rating 1 out of 5]

maybe the worst thing I've ever read for school

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

1722 A Comedy
Found in "Eighteenth-Century Plays paperback pg.109

[Carolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still don't understand how this was a comedy?? But I liked it.

[Indigo Wayworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for ENGL 3020: Restoration Drama

[Samantha Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I read this for an 18th Century British Literature class that focused around Restoration plays. Historically, this play by Steele, when compared to earlier Restoration plays, shows how the influence of bourgeois moral values was growing alongside the emergence of the middle classes in 18th century England. Before, plays catered mainly to upper classes and were far less focused around morality (and far more irreverent and more modern in their humor).
The play is funny at times, but a bit too preachy and pretentious overall. It has lots of very old-fashioned, patriarchal attitudes and messaging that made me cringe throughout. So, not exactly my cup of tea. However, I do appreciate the cultural context the play provides and the insight it can give into the social and moral attitudes of that time period.

[Michal Bitan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting how this sort of comedy lends itself to reading, in comparison with plays written 40 years prior. The scene already exists on the page, and does not depend as much on the actors to bring it to life.

[taelor alexandria]

brit lit readings 🤓

[Nicole Sobolewski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh